Exterior cladding is the next step in the exterior trim process. This could be cedar siding, stucco, brick, stone, vinyl or cement fiber siding. Once the cladding is up, gutters can be installed. Keep in mind that it’s a good idea to wait until the roof is complete before you begin installing the gutters. You wouldn’t want a worker’s ladder to ruin your new gutter system.

Step 5 – Installing Mechanical Systems
The mechanical systems include your heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (better known as your HVAC systems). This step is completed in two steps. The first step requires the workers to install the internal components that will be hidden once your house is complete. These components include your house’s water pipes, ducts and wiring. The second step is when the workers return at a later date to install the light and water fixtures and heat registers.

Step 6 – Insulating the HomeInsulation is a huge step in the building process, and it plays an important role in the comfort of your home, not to mention energy savings. This step requires the exterior wall cavities between the studs to be filled with whatever type of insulation you specify. Popular choices include fiberglass batts and blown cellulose, but a growing number of homebuilders are using foam insulation as well.

For those of you interested in “green building,” there are environmentally friendly insulation choices. A popular environmental choice includes UltraTouch, a batt-type insulation made from reclaimed cotton. Other choices include insulation made from newspaper and low-density concrete.

Step 7 – Putting Up Drywall
It is now time for the drywall. Drywall is hung or nailed to your interior walls and ceilings, providing more structure to your home. After the drywall is hung, you will notice the builders spreading a thin, fibrous tape over the seams between the sheets. Joint compound is then spread over the tape. Typically, about three coats of the compound is applied, allowed to dry and sanded smooth before the walls are ready for the final step.

It is now your turn to decide what kind of walls you want. Do you want to paint, wallpaper or apply a textured effect to your walls? If you aren’t going to paint or wallpaper, now is the time where you can have a texture applied to your walls as a nice finishing touch.

Step 8 – Putting Interior Trim in Place
Interior trim begins with your doors. Lengths of trim wood are applied to the outside edges of the door openings, and base molding pieces are applied to the walls where they meet the floor. Crown moldings cover the walls where they meet the ceiling. Once the door trims are finished, other trim needs, such as stair rails and fireplace mantels are installed.

Step 9 – Painting and StainingIt is now time for the painting and staining processes. Any trim pieces that were installed unfinished can be painted or stained, and any untextured walls can be painted or wallpapered. Be sure to prepare all of the areas that you plan to paint or stain. Sometimes the drywallers leave joint compound on the walls, and it should be filed down before you paint or stain.

Step 10 – Doing Finishing WorkIt is now time to bring in your beautiful kitchen and bath cabinets and maybe that granite countertop you’ve always wanted. The tiles, the carpet, the blinds and curtains, the appliances, the furniture and all the other aesthetic touches are now finding a place within your new walls. This is also the time when the subcontractors come back to install the heat registers and light and water fixtures.

Step 11 – Doing Cleanup and Landscaping
The final steps include your driveway and/or sidewalk being installed, the landscaping being created and the process of clean-up begining. Try saving a few dollars and tackling the clean-up on your own. This process can be made easy if you call your garbage company and have them drop off one of those oversized trash receptacles to throw away any remaining debris that you find.

FLOOR-PLAN TRENDS
Here are some of the most desired features for future floor plans, provided by custom home building resource, Custom Home Key (www.customhomekey.com).

— Sight Lines
Sight lines are very useful when designing the floor plan of your house. Sight lines are responsible for making one home seem large and another seem small when both homes have the same square footage. They are invisible lines that can be drawn from any given point in the home, whether you’re standing in a doorway or seated in a room. The lines stop when you visually come to a point where you cannot see any further; for example, when your sight is obstructed by a wall or a door. Walls and doors make the home feel smaller. By opening things up with a hint of what lies beyond, the home will look and feel larger.

Sight lines can be checked with the floor plan, a ruler and a pencil. Begin by standing in the middle of any doorway or opening and start drawing a straight line to various focal points in the home. Focal points can include windows, courtyards, fireplaces and adjacent rooms. Ask yourself the following questions when making your sight lines. Then check them from various sitting positions in the home:

Does the line stop in that room or does it pass through several?

Does it intersect a featureless wall or will you get a glimpse of a window and the courtyard beyond?

What will you see from the dining room table? From the family room sofa? From your bed? From the kitchen?

Once you carefully have made your sight lines throughout your house, make note of what views you feel are the most important as you casually sit and stand in different areas of your space. Always remember that the least amount of obstructions there are, the bigger the house will look and feel. Not to mention, it’s far more interesting to get a preview of what’s to come with subtle hints and captivating clues of the spaces beyond than to be cut off from the rest of the home.